1886 White Metal So-Called Dollar HK-606, Providence 250th Anniversary

Coin Details

Auction Record

$125 MS64 05-10-2023 eBay

Description

This commemorative medal (HK-606) from 1886 celebrates Providence, 250th Anniv. in Rhode Island. Commemorative medals honoring individuals have been part of American medallic tradition since the nation's founding, with subjects ranging from presidents and military heroes to local civic leaders and cultural figures. Struck in white metal (a tin-based alloy), this piece represents one of the most common compositions for 19th-century commemorative medals. White metal's low cost and attractive silvery appearance made it ideal for mass-distribution commemoratives. American commemorative medal manufacturers ranged from the U.S. Mint to small regional die-sinkers, with each firm bringing distinctive artistic approaches and production capabilities to the medallic arts. Harold Hibler and Charles Kappen spent decades cataloging American dollar-sized medals, creating a reference work that transformed a scattered collecting field into an organized numismatic specialty. Local commemorative medals from before 1900 reflect an era when American communities were actively shaping their civic identities, with medal production serving as both celebration and assertion of permanence.

Rarity Notes

Local commemorative so-called dollars from the Gilded Age survive in varying quantities. White Metal examples of HK-606 are moderately scarce in the numismatic market.

Cross References

HK-606; PCGS #643056